As is well known in the art, even with the assistance of a second individual to guide and direct the driver of a towing vehicle to precisely place the hitch ball on the vehicle in alignment with and directly under the socket on the trailer member can be a long and frustrating experience. The coupling elements (i.e. hitch ball and socket) are not normally visible from the driver's seat, especially during the final increments of movement of the vehicle as it is being backed towards the trailer for hitching purposes.
This long and frustrating experience is compounded when the coupling operation must be performed without the assistance of a second individual to guide and direct the driver. Thus, this lone driver must resort to the trial and error method wherein the lone driver backs the tow vehicle towards the trailer, and periodically stops the vehicle, and gets out to observe the alignment and position of the hitch ball in relationship to the socket on the trailer tongue. This procedure must be repeated until proper alignment is achieved to place the hitch ball in longitudinal alignment with and directly under the trailer socket on the trailer tongue until the hitching process is completed. Dim light, inclement weather, uneven terrain and other distractions compound this trial and error procedure to effect a hitching operation by a lone individual.
Earlier devices for guiding the backing of a vehicle are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,765,703, 4,199,756, 2,984,011 and 3,418,628. However, many of the prior guiding devices of the indicated character are relatively cumbersome, complicated, costly and may require special skills and mechanical knowledge to install, maintain and operate.
Consequently there is a need for a trailer coupling guide that will overcome the aforementioned problems, but the prior art, taken as a whole in accordance with the requirements of law, neither teaches nor suggests how the hitching procedure could be improved.